


Normal Rules Need Not Apply

by DizzyDrea



Category: NCIS
Genre: Eventual Romance, F/M, Las Vegas, Morning After
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-31
Updated: 2020-08-31
Packaged: 2021-03-06 22:53:32
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,773
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26206726
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DizzyDrea/pseuds/DizzyDrea
Summary: Ellie wakes up in a hotel room in Las Vegas, not sure how she got there or who she's sharing the bed with. Oops.
Relationships: Ellie Bishop/Anthony DiNozzo
Comments: 6
Kudos: 59
Collections: Just Write! Trope Bingo





	Normal Rules Need Not Apply

**Author's Note:**

> I've never written for the "What happens in Vegas" trope before, so this was a lot of fun. And writing this for the Tony/Ellie pairing was even more fun. I hope you enjoy it as well.
> 
> For the _What Happens in Vegas_ square on my Trope Bingo card from the Just Write Discord.
> 
> Disclaimer: NCIS and all its particulars are the property of CBS, Paramount, Donald P. Bellisario, Bellisarius Productions and a lot of other people who aren’t me. I am doing this for fun and for practice. Mostly for fun.

~o~

Ellie Bishop rolled over and immediately regretted it. Sunlight was pouring into the room, piercing through her closed eyelids like tiny little knives. She grabbed her pillow and pulled it over her head, hoping and praying that the pain would stop.

It took a few moments for the throbbing in her head to subside, and even longer for her to realize that she couldn't possibly be at home. Her bedroom in her apartment back in DC faced West, so the morning sun wasn't a problem. 

But that left the mystery of where she was currently. She vaguely remembered wrapping up her part of the investigation the day before. She'd flown out to NAS Fallon to question a pilot currently training at the Top Gun school. Unfortunately, the return flight to DC had been canceled due to mechanical issues, so she would have been stuck until they could fix it if she couldn't find another way home.

That's where things got a bit fuzzy. She could remember leaving Fallon, but she couldn't seem to remember where she'd gone or why she felt like she'd been run over by a truck.

She froze when she heard a moan from the other side of the bed.

"Christ, why did I have those last three shots of tequila?"

She knew that voice. Very carefully, she pulled the pillow off her head and rolled over. Her eyes got big as saucers when she saw who was in bed with her.

Naked, with miles of pale skin normally covered by expensive suits making a feast for the eyes. To be fair, she was naked, too, but that information paled in comparison. No pun intended.

She groaned as she flopped over onto her back. "Do I even want to know why I'm in bed with you?"

She could feel the whole-body-flinch as her partner realized he wasn't in bed alone, either. A quick glance told her all she needed to know: Tony DiNozzo was just as puzzled as she was.

"My head hurts too much to deal with this right now," he muttered. "Coffee first. And maybe a whole bottle of aspirin."

"Eggs and bacon," she said.

"Aspirin first," he said. "Then maybe I'll consider the eggs."

"Yeah," she said, gusting out a sigh. "You mind if I take a shower?"

"Be my guest," he said. 

She could see him waving a hand in the air out of the corner of her eye. Thankfully, this hotel—wherever they'd ended up—didn't have mirrors on the ceiling. Not that it helped much, but she'd take what she could get.

She crawled out of bed, pulling the sheet around her to preserve some of her modesty, though she had an inkling that she might not have any left at this point.

"Hey!" he shouted as the sheet pulled away to reveal his very naked body. He dove for the blanket at the foot of the bed, but Ellie still caught a glimpse of skin and muscle. Tony honestly didn't have anything to be ashamed of. "A little warning might have been nice."

"You'll survive," she said. "Make yourself useful and order some breakfast and coffee."

She ducked into the bathroom and closed and locked the door, leaning against it for a few precious seconds to try to gather her wits. She could hear Tony talking, which meant he must have called room service. Either that or he'd called Gibbs to explain why they weren't back yet. Better him than her.

She glanced at her reflection in the mirror and winced. She looked like hell. Her hair was a mess, and she was pale as a ghost. And to add insult to injury, her mascara had smeared off, making her look like a raccoon. Well, nothing a shower and some soap couldn't fix. She had some sunscreen in her bag that would work as a moisturizer, so at least she'd be set.

Realizing she probably didn't have much time, she pushed off the door and set about getting the shower running. It took very little time to wash up, though she was grateful for the shampoo since her hair smelled like an ashtray. 

By the time she'd finished showering, she felt a hundred percent better. It was only then that she realized she hadn't brought any clothes with her into the bathroom. Knowing there was nothing she could do about it, she scooped up the sheet and wrapped it around herself and, with as much dignity as she could pull around herself, she marched out into the room

"Food's on its way," Tony said. 

He was still in the bed, the blanket draped over his lower body as he sat leaning against the headboard. His eyes were glued to his phone, which Ellie appreciated. 

"Good," she said. "I'm starving. Shower's yours if you want it."

"Oh, I want," he said. 

He threw the blanket off before she could look away. But, instead of nothing but bare skin, he was wearing a pair of sweatpants. He grabbed his duffel and headed into the bathroom, closing the door and flipping the lock before she could say anything.

Ellie huffed as she went in search of her go-bag. She found it kicked into the corner of the room, next to the balcony door. Nudging the sheer curtain aside, her eyes bugged out of her head as she got a good look at where she was.

Vegas.

Why did it have to be Las Vegas?

Although, it made some sense, at least. McCarron was the closest major airport to Fallon, well within driving distance. If they really couldn’t get out of Fallon anytime soon, Vegas was the nearest logical choice. 

The lights of the strip were still twinkling, even though it had to be well past dawn. She had no idea which hotel they were in, but it was nice. Her toes dug into the plush carpet under her feet as she ran a hand over the sheet, which certainly felt like something fancier than the ones she had on her bed at home.

She didn't even want to think about how much this was costing them, and whether Vance would throw a fit over the expense.

Ellie heard the shower shut off, knocking her out of her musings. She wanted to be dressed before Tony stepped out of the bathroom. Yanking her duffel out of the corner, she tossed it on the bed and started rummaging around for clean clothes. 

Her gaze kept straying to the expanse of white sheet clinging to the king-sized bed, taunting her with the question of just what—if anything—had happened in that bed last night. She growled under her breath.

"Just don't think about it," she muttered. 

She finally found the underwear stashed in the corner. Quickly, she dropped the sheet and pulled on the underwear and bra, followed by a t-shirt and jeans. She didn't bother with socks or shoes yet, just shoved her dirty clothes back into the bag and threw it back where she'd found it.

There was a knock on the door as she was pulling a brush through her hair. She walked over to the door and pulled it open to find a waiter with a cart. Smells wafted from underneath the silver chargers, making her mouth water.

"Room service, ma'am," he said unnecessarily.

She stepped aside and swept her hand out. "Come on in."

He pushed the cart into the room and across to the table near the balcony, settling it into place against the wall. As Ellie walked across the room to join him, she could see him uncovering dishes and arranging the cart for service. He placed plates, cups, and glasses along with silverware on the table. 

"Alright, ma'am, you're all set," he said when he turned around. "I just need your signature."

Ellie took the folio he held out to her, opening it up to sign the receipt. She practically choked on the cost but resolved to just pretend like she hadn't seen it. She added a generous tip and signed her name. Hopefully, the hotel wouldn't squawk if her name wasn't on the register.

She handed it back to the waiter with a smile. He nodded at her and headed for the door. 

"Here you go."

Ellie turned around to find Tony handing the waiter what looking like a cash tip. She shook her head as the waiter smiled and thanked him before slipping through the door. Tony walked across the room to join her. He looked marginally more human, and certainly less pale than he had earlier.

"You didn't have to tip him," she said as she started lifting lids off the serving dishes on the cart. Eggs. Bacon. Toast. She reached behind her and grabbed her plate, serving up some of everything and settling down at the table. "I did add a tip to the bill."

"It was only ten bucks," Tony said. "Always good practice to give cash to the help. They'll go out of their way when you tip them directly."

He served himself some toast and reached for the coffee carafe immediately after sitting down, pouring her some before he poured his own cup.

"Sounds like you have a lot of experience with hotels," she said casually.

Tony laughed. "You could say that. Back when it was just Gibbs and me, he made me do all the travel reservations. As long as I stayed within budget, he didn't care where we stayed. I learned pretty quickly, from watching how other people do it, that the ones who tipped well got the best service. Not hard to figure out that a few dollars here and there will grease the wheels when you need it."

"I'll have to remember that," she said. 

They ate in silence for a bit, with only the sound of silverware on plates and the swish of the air conditioning in the background. Ellie was surprised to find that it wasn't awkward, or at least not as awkward as she'd expect it to be. She still wasn't sure what had happened last night, nor was she at all sure she wanted to know.

"So," Tony said. He leaned back in his chair and sipped at his coffee.

Ellie raised an eyebrow. "So."

"What do you think happened last night?" he asked.

"Please tell me you remember," she said. "Because I got nothing. Well, I remember the tequila. Unfortunately. But not much else."

"I remember the tequila, too," he said. "And stumbling back to our room. I don't remember anything beyond that, but I did find a used condom in the bathroom trash."

"Fuck," Ellie muttered.

Tony chuckled. "Precisely."

"And you're sure it's not leftover from the previous occupant?"

"Would you like me to ask the maids?" he asked. "Or perhaps I should just bag it for evidence and have Abby run the DNA."

"No, thank you," she said, shaking her head. "Too many questions I don't have answers for, and besides, once Abby finds out, it'll be all over the office in minutes."

"She's not as bad as all that," he said. "I found the wrapper, too. Matches the brand I keep in my go-bag."

"You're such a Boy Scout, Tony," she said, chuckling. She took a deep breath and leaned back in her chair. "So, we had sex last night."

"Looks like it," he said. "Shame, too."

"I'm not sure if I should be insulted or just really embarrassed," she said.

"Neither," he said. "It's a shame I don't remember because I'm guessing it was fun. I'm sore in some pretty interesting places. That hasn't happened in a while."

"Great," she said. "The first time I get laid in months and I can't even remember it." She paused, giving him a gimlet-eyed stare. "You don't seem bothered that it was me."

"You are, objectively, pretty hot," he said. "I'd have to be dead not to have noticed. Plus, I like you, which is a lethal combination, trust me."

"And you haven't made a move before now because…?" she asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Rule Twelve," Tony said, shrugging. "Not that I give a rat's ass. He made that rule because he was a dumbass. I'd like to think I'm smart enough to keep things friendly, even if it doesn't work out."

"So, you're saying that—what are you saying, exactly?" Ellie asked, confused.

"I'm saying, we have two choices here," he said. "We can forget any of this ever happened. Go back to DC and just get on with our lives."

"Or?"

"Or, we can start over," he said. "Maybe try dinner and drinks without the tequila, see where it leads."

"And Rule Twelve?" she asked.

"I prefer Rule Eighteen, myself," he said with a wink.

"'Better to seek forgiveness than ask permission'," she said. "I think I could work with that. What makes you think I'd want to tell Gibbs about… any of this, really?"

"Oh, trust me, I have zero desire to tell Gibbs about our planes, trains, and automobiles adventure," he said. "Eventually, people will figure it out. Gibbs is an above-average investigator, after all. Tim's got his nose too deep in that computer of his, despite the fact that he's married. And Abby… well, she's in her own world. My money would actually be on Jimmy or Ducky, frankly. Of everyone, they're the two who actually pay attention to people, ironically."

"Hmmm." 

Ellie liked Tony. He was funny and kind, and his near-encyclopedic knowledge of film was actually entertaining. But she'd had a workplace romance once before. Divorce hadn't been in her plans then, and she wasn't sure she was ready to take the risk now. But if anyone could tempt her to try, it would be Tony.

"The offer still stands," he said quietly. "I'm not trying to coerce you into anything. If you decide you want to give it a try, at any point, just say so."

"Miami," she said.

"Vice?" Tony asked. "Ridiculous movie, really. The TV show was better. I mean, I believed Jamie Foxx as Tubbs, but come on. No one buys Colin Farell as Crockett. He made the movie nearly unwatchable."

"I was thinking more along the lines of a weekend getaway," Ellie said. "But good to know your cinematic education goes as far as crap cop movies with miscast Irish actors."

"Because what happens in Vegas stays in Vegas," he said, nodding sagely.

She nodded in agreement. "And what happens in Miami could be the start of something interesting."

"Alright then," he said, a slow smile spreading over his face. "I'll have to look into that."

"Good," she said, smiling back. "Meanwhile, I'll figure out how to explain all this to Vance."

"No need," he said. "Apparently, I put this all on my personal card. I found the email for the plane tickets, which went on the company card, so, we're good because I'm not expensing this. I'd rather not have to explain to Vance how we ended up at the Bellagio. He'd lose his shit if he got a good look at the bill."

"And your government salary can afford that?" she asked.

"No, but my trust fund can, as you well know," he said. "I hardly ever spend it, so it's not like this is even going to put a dent in it."

Ellie smiled. Tim had very helpfully given her the rundown on all the players at NCIS when she'd first come on board. It was easy to see he'd been jealous of Tony, as evidenced by just how thorough his background information was. Ellie had simply thanked him and shoved it into a metaphorical drawer. So, Tony having money wasn't a surprise. Him being willing to spend some of it on her was, though.

"I'm not even going to ask," she said, rather than any of the other things that were going through her head. "What time's our flight?"

"Not until this afternoon, so we have some time," he said. "Wanna go shopping? There are a couple of places I usually hit whenever I'm in town if you're game."

"Sure," she said. She finished off her coffee and set the cup on the table. "I need a new cocktail dress, anyway."

"Got a hot date?" he asked as he stood up.

She winked at him as she rose from her chair. "As a matter of fact, I do."

"Well, then, I asked for a late check-out, so we have plenty of time," he said. "Shall we go?"

He reached out a hand, and she slipped hers into his, giving him a contented smile. "Let's."

~Finis


End file.
